Vapor lubricator for motor vehicles



Feb. 13, 1951 WuH. TABER ET AL 2,541,129

VAPOR LUBRICATOR FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Filed Dec. 31, 1947 Patented Feb. 13, 1951 'VAPGRIUBRICATOR FOR MOTOR VEHICLES William H. .Taber and Albert Taber, Providence,

It. I.,- assign rs to Automotive & .Marine Products Corporation, .a corporation of Massachusetts flppli'cation December 31, $9.47., SerialNo. 794,994

.5 Claims.

The present invention relates to lubrication devices .for internal combustion engines, and has particular reference :to a novel top cylinder and overhead valve .lubricator construction.

The principal object of the invention is to .pro-

vide a lubricator which spra-ys finely dispersed oil to the upper working parts of an engi e.

Another object of the invention is to provide a top :cylinder lubricator which :supplies :a regulated volume of vaporized oil .for suction intake to the intake manifold of the (engine.

Still another object is to provide a top :cylinder lubri'oator 'WhiCh mixes intake air 'and'oil vapor, enriched with additional #oil vapor, to form an oil-laden :spray for intake into :the engine -cy1l- .inders.

further object of the invention is to provide a manually adjustable val'emechanism for controlling the proportion of oil vapor to .in the oil-laden air intake stream.

an additional object of 'tl reinvention is to provide :a top cylinder and overhead valve lubricator with :a manually adjustable "valve mechanism for controlling the proportions :of soil vapor and 'air in the oil-la den spray drawn EfOI intake into the intake. manifold.

Another object of the invention is 'to provide an improved air inlet turbulator for replacing the lubricating oil supplied to the inlet manifold with air :and simultaneously agitating the lu b'rieating oil in the lubri'cator to thoroughly disperse a "contained solvent agent in the agitated oil.

With the above other objects and advantageous features in view, the invention consists of a novel arrangement of parts'more f'u-lly disclosed in the detailed description following, in conjunction with the accompanying "drawings, and more specifically defined "in th claims appended thereto.

In the drawings:

Fig. '1 is a perspective view of an il-lustra'tiveoil spray lubricator embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the cover a'ssembly;

Fig. .3 is an enlarged sectional detail on the line 3-'3 ofFig. 2;

Fig.4 is an enlarged isectional detail on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is an emargedrsectionaldetailon the-line S- SofJFig. 4.

It has been found desirable ito' provide a top cylinder .lubri'cat'o'r for an automobile engine which supplies vaporized Lnil :spra

-2 valves, reduces carbon -formatlon, prevents gummed up piston rings and scored cylinder walls, and iquiets the operation of the valve assembly. To this end, I utilize a-container which is mounted under the engine hood and :whichis periodically filled with light lubricating .oil, the container having an infiowair passage into which oil is entrained in a fine dispersion, and an oil spray mixture outfiow conduit which is connected with the engine manifold; and I .provide-thecontainer witha filter for the infiowing air and with a manually adjustable valve for regulating the amount of oil vaporized by the inflowing air. I further provide an auxiliary oil vapor by-i ass channel which continually supplies a :fixed .amount of oil-laden rair to be drawn into the outflow conduit, whereby a small volume of oil vapor is always drawn into the engine cylinders,

even when the oil vapor adjustment valve is shut, and .I also utilize an air :inlet to the lubricator in the :form of a :turbulator which supplies replacement air for the withdrawn .lubri'cating'oil and also agitates the lubricating oil to thoroughly disperse a solvent ingredient thereof throughout the coil.

The use of upper cylinder lubricating oil inthe form of 1a finely dispersed spray provides amaximum penetrative effect :and carries the 'oil "to the valve stem and valve guide, and in addition acts as a coolant for that "portion of the valve stem whichextends beyond the valve guide and :is subject to the most intense heatv the 'solventnsually added to the lubricating oil eliminating carbon formation. 'Since the valve stem in its :travel in the valve guide is subjected to changing tem- .peratures, including oil temperature of approximate1y25l) degrees F., "water temperature offal)- :proximately degrees and combustion gas temperature of approximately 2100 degrees FL, there "is .a variance in the rate of expansion of *thevalve stem which is 'excessivebeyon'd 'thevalve guide and slows the valve action. The cooling-efif'e'ct of the oil-laden air stream serves to reduce the high temperature and the rate of "expansion as well :as :to eliminate friction, and thus improves the valve operationand measurably iin'creasestlre power output with decreased consumption of fuel.

:R ierr ing to the drawings, the novel lubricator l E) .includes a container base .I l wlhichis-preferabl-y of glass or other suitable "transparent material and which has a threaded neck to receive a correspondingly threaded metal cover :12. The (cover :12 has an upstanding threaded lboss 51.3

with :a le threaded .cap

a chamber 5%.

correspondingly threaded upper end It of an air inlet tube I! extends, and has an upstanding vaporizing housing 18. Two rearwardly extending brackets is and 2B are provided for attaching the lubricator to the front wall of an automobile panel or the like, the brackets being preferably formed integral with the cover.

A closure cap 25 is removably mounted on the upper end it of the air inlet pipe [1, and has a wall opening 22 through which air may freely enter into the base ll of the container, a conical turbulator 23 being provided at the base of the tube ii to thoroughly disperse inflowing replacement air into the oil in the container base,

which is periodically replenished through the upstanding boss l3, and thus agitate the oil in the container to spread a contained solvent agent and prevent any settlingof the solvent.

The vaporizing housing 18, see Fig. 4, includes an elongated air inflow passageway 24 which is enlarged at its outer end as indicated at 25 to receive a dust screen 28, securely held in place by a pressed in lock ring 27. An oil inlet duct 28 opens into the air passageway 2 from a threaded bore 29, into which the correspond ngly threaded upper end of an oil tube 35 is received, the lower end of the oil tube having a base spacer 3| with a depending edge 32 which ends below the 4 ment of the invention, it is obvious that changes in the size, shape and arrangement of the parts may be made to suit different automotive lubrication requirements, without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A top lubricator for an internal combustion engine comprising an oil container base, a cover therefor, air intake means for admitting air to the lower portion of the base, a mixture housing in said cover including an elongated air flow passageway, an oil inlet in the wall of said passageway, an ol supply conduit communicating said oil in et with the lower portion of the base and supplying oil therefrom for entraining in the air flowing through the passageway, said oil inlet end of the oil inlet tube 353 and is spaced at a desired clearance above the bottom of the base I l to provide a narrow annular oil flow inlet into the oil tube. The upper end of the oil inlet 28 is formed as a valve seat 33, and a valve 34 is adjustably mounted in a threaded bore 35 in the housing positioned directly above the oil inlet 28 for graduated movement into the oil inlet duct 28, to provide a regulated oil outlet therefrom. A look ring 35 is threadedly mounted on the valve stem outside the housing 18 and has a narrow depending boss 39 adapted to frictionally engage the upper portion of the mixture housing for securely locking the valve 34 in adjusted position.

The air drawn through the inlet passage 24 by engine suction flows directly across the oil inlet 28 and draws up 011 which becomes finely dispersed therein, the oil which is drawn up being initially aerated by the inflow of air through the tube El and its thorough dispersion into the oil through th turbulator 23. The mixture enters a mixture chamber 68 and exits from the mixture chamber through an outflow passage 4| in a connecting nipple t2 which is threadedly mounted in a bore 43in axial alignment with the air passageway 2%.

An auxiliary or bypass passageway M is also provided in the vaporizing housing I8, and extends from a suitable dome 55 in the underside of the head i2 to bypass the oil inlet passage 28 and directly communicate with the mixture The bypass passageway provides a continuously open conduit for drawing a constant supply of oil-laden air from the lubricator likto provide a minimum oil vapor flow and enrich the mixture of air from the passageway 24 and dispersed oil from the oil inlet pipe 30.

- It is thus clear that the improved lubricator providesifor a direct inflow of air, which entrains and finely disperses an adjusted volume of lubricating oil, a bypass providing a minimum supply of oil vapor laden air, and that the lubricator may be readily applied to any type of internal combustion engine, whether automotive orstaticnary, for the purpose described.

gihlthough we have described a specific. embodia having a valve seat, a valve adjustably mounted in the cover and. cooperating with the valve seat for regulating the oil flow from the oil inlet, and an outflow passage for the oil-entrained air.

2. A top lubricator for an internal combustion engine comprising an oil container base, a cover therefor, air intake means depending from said cover for admitting air to the lower portion of the base, a mixture housing in said cover including an elongated air flow passageway, an oil inlet in the wall of said passageway, an oil supply conduit communicating said oil inlet with the lower portion of the base and supplying oil therefrom for entraining in the a-r flowing through the passageway, said oil in .et having a valve seat, a valve adjustably mounted in the cover and cooperating with the valve seat for regulating the oil flow from the oil inlet, an outflow passage for the oil-entrained air, and a bypass passage to said outflow passage for supplying oil-laden air from the upper portion of the base.

3. A top lubricator for an internal combustion engine comprising an oil container base, a cover therefor, air intake means depending from said cover for admitting air to the lower portion of the base, a mixture housing in said cover including an elongated air flow passageway, said passageway having a dust screen, an oil met in the wall of said passageway, an oil supply conduit communicating said oil inlet with the lower portion of the base and supplying oil therefrom for entraining in the air flowing through the passageway, said oil inlet having a valve seat, a valve adjustably mounted in the cover and cooperating with the valve seat for regulating the oil flow from the oil met, an outflow passage for the oil-entrained air, and a bypass passage to said outflow passage for supply'ng oil-laden air from the upper portion of the base.

4. A top lubricator for an internal combustion engine comprising an oil container base, a cover therefor, air intake means depending from said cover for admitting air to the lower portion of the base, said ar intake means including a turbulator, a mixture housing in said cover including an elongated air flow passageway, an oil inlet in the wall of said passageway, an oil supply conduit communicating said oil inlet with the lower portion of the base and supplying oil therefrom for entraining in the air flowing through the passageway, said oil inlet having a valve seat, a valve adjustably mounted in the cover and 00- operating with the valve seat for regulating the oil flow from the oil inlet, and an outflow passage for the oil-entrained air.

5. A top lubricator for automotive engines comprising an oil container base, a cover therefor,

air intake means depending from said cover ,i'or

admitting air to the lower portion of the base, said air intake means including a turbulator, a mixture housing in said cover including an elongated air flow passageway, an oil inlet in the wall of said passageway, an oil supply conduit communicating said oil inlet with the lower portion of the base and supplying oil therefrom for entraining in the air flowing through the passageway, said oil inlet having a valve seat, a valve adjustably mounted in the cover and cooperating 10 with the valve seat for regulating the oil flow from the oil inlet, and outflow passage for the oil-entrained air, and a bypass passage to said outflow passage for supplying oil-laden air from the upper portion of the base.

WILLIAM H. TABER. ALBERT TABER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,325,381 Silver Dec. 16, 1919 1,719,191 Mulligan July 2, 1929 1,938,665 Neely Dec. 12, 1933 1,960,715 Shaw May 29, 1934 1,991,722 Berray Feb. 19, 1935 2,112,538 Loughlin Mar. 29, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS 15 Number Country Date 503,020 Great Britain Mar. 27, 1939 

